It started with a sound I thought might be a tree branch dragging under my right front tire—a scraping, gritty, almost grinding noise. I heard it first as I was leaving my driveway. I heard it again when I slowed to turn off the main road. I heard it a third time when I pulled into a parking space.
“It’s your brakes,” suggested a friend of mine.
“My brakes can’t be worn out,” I joked. “I never use them.”
So I did what most single women I know would do—I ignored the problem, hoping it would go away. It’s probably just sand underneath the brake pads, I reasoned. Or maybe the brakes got too wet from all the rain we’ve been having.
Several days later I admitted the noise wasn’t going to go away, so I took the car in for a free brake inspection. The estimate was almost $400. I decided to think about it.
When I got home, I discovered one of my hubcaps missing. I called the auto shop. “The guy who checked your brakes noted it was loose,” said the shop foreman.
Oh yeah?? Well then why wasn’t I informed? I politely asked him to replace it. After some discussion, he agreed, but would have to hunt one down to match. Before he could do so, a second hubcap went missing.
This time the shop foreman told me I’d have to buy a complete matching set. I declined.
In an auto parts store in Portland I found some perfectly acceptable replacement covers for one-third of the price I’d been quoted. These replacement caps looked just fine to me, except for the fact they didn’t have any of those fake lug nuts added on for God-only-knows what reason—maybe for a more aesthetic “bling” appearance.
I checked the price. Those fake lug nuts added eight dollars to the cost of the wheel covers. Fake nuts for eight bucks? I think not. I put the difference toward fixing my brakes.
Two steps backward, one step forward.